


the bestgirl

by anthropologicalhands



Category: Naruto
Genre: Birthday, Canon Compliant, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-31
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2019-05-17 02:16:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14823323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anthropologicalhands/pseuds/anthropologicalhands
Summary: Ino has a speech for the birthday girl.





	the bestgirl

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday to one of my all time favorite characters!

ATTENTION EVERYONE!

Right, right—sorry, I probably should have done this a little earlier in the evening when we all weren’t quite so sauced, but this is Forehead’s birthday party and she wanted to have at least a few hours of sitting and talking before the actual partying started, and I felt that my speech would not quite fit with the masterful toasts presented both by Tsunade-sama and our current Hokage. Granted, they presented theirs early in the evening so they could be smashed beyond all recognition right now, so take that as you will.

Also because, in fact, I did not actually warn Sakura that I was going to be giving a speech. Don’t get up, Forehead, I promise that I won’t be too embarrassing. I did run parts of this by your team first to confirm I wasn’t spilling anything you didn’t want spilled.

(Speaking of which:

Boy toys, you are all in charge of keeping her in her seat, refilling her cup and sweets and making sure she actually listens to me instead of curling up into a ball out of sheer mortification.

And before you open your mouth, I am talking about you too, Sai. Yes, you are also my boy toy. You weren’t mistaken. You’re just pulling double duty.)

ANYWAYS, back to the birthday girl. Sakura Haruno is truly a remarkable woman. As her best friend, who has seen all of her bad moods, terrible comebacks, and occasionally sorry fashion choices over the years, I say this with full confidence.

She is intelligent. Did you all know she was able to answer all questions on the written test during the Chuunin exams without cheating? I would know—I was in her head.

(Naruto, why did you let her throw that dango? Relax, Forehead, that was years ago. Take it has a compliment: I had full confidence in you!)

But more than just being intelligent, Sakura, you don’t take it for granted.

You are willing to work hard. That is what’s made you strong, though you never lacked conviction. It wasn’t luck or chance that made you the Godaime’s apprentice. No, you walked right up to her and asked. That took guts.

And she was relentless. I was with you every night you came back exhausted, on nights when you cried about the soreness in your muscles and I brushed your hair and we did nothing but lie around watching romantic comedies so that the day’s pains could recede.

But you never gave up.

Never even considered it.

And now?

Look at you.

The strongest woman in the world.

I’m proud of you, Forehead.

No wonder you were one of the first of us to become jounin. You are a trustworthy leader, even when you lose your cool, you never lose our faith. And with your status running the hospital and forays into medical research, your name will only grow more legendary with time.

(All right, I’m going to segue into something else because your eyes are misting up and I have no intention of making you cry.

Sasuke, good thinking with the handkerchief.)

She is warm, and compassionate. Anyone who has ever been in her company for more than a few minutes will know this.

For example: today we were sparring, and she accidentally gave me a black eye. Granted, my makeup skills are impeccable and you probably wouldn’t have noticed even if she hadn’t healed it up, but her panic was, frankly, very sweet.

(Stop laughing, Forehead, or you’ll ruin all of my efforts to talk you up.)

But more seriously, Sakura is gentle. Her ferocity in battle versus her manner as a medic and her day to day life might seem disconcerting to an outsider, but all of us know that there is no contradiction there.

How many of you were in love with Sakura in the past?

(Oh, wow! That’s a lot of hands!

Forehead, stop blushing so much or you’ll clash with your outfit.)

All right, all right, hands down. But my point: Sakura, you are a loving person. And nothing makes me happier than making sure you know just how loved you are in return.

And speaking of love—Sakura, I had a little talk with Sasuke a few weeks ago. Don’t look so alarmed: we have our differences, but we also have one very important thing in common—your happiness.

(Not that I was all that unconvinced before, really.)

Congratulations on your engagement, Forehead. You have my blessing.

It goes hand in hand with compassion, I suppose, but Sakura is a very forgiving person. You might be surprised to hear this, Forehead, but I do admire you for it. Your ability to pick yourself up and move on from an incident, to give others the benefit of the doubt to grow and change.

You are, honestly and truly, for all that I tease you otherwise, the best person I know.

And the best friend I have.

(Granted, you aren’t perfect. You cry easily.

And when you cry, I cry too. 

Which is making saying all of this very difficult—Forehead, please stop, my makeup will start running and I’ll be blubbering and no one is going to hear the rest of this and I worked on it for a very long time!

…

Sakura, seriously—

Oh—crap.

Now you’ve done it.

…

I love you too. )

Happy birthday to the best girl I know.


End file.
